Method and system for sharing and accessing resources

ABSTRACT

A method and system for sharing and accessing resources useable to retrieve information is provided. Data of resources used by human providers to retrieve information in response to a query from requesters are maintained in a database for use in relation to subsequent queries. The method and system identifies categories and/or keywords of queries for which the resources were used to retrieve information and indicates the resources to providers and/or requesters as a search resource(s).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S.Application Ser. No. 60/807,426, filed Jul. 14, 2006, inventor Scott A.Jones, et al., titled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING AND ACCESSINGRESOURCES, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention is directed to use of resources for searches and,more particularly, to associating a resource with at least one categoryor keyword and making the resource available for subsequent searchesassociated with the category or keyword.

2. Description of the Related Art

Although the increasing amount of information that has become availableover the Internet has led to the development of various resources suchas search engines, Internet directories, etc. that may be utilized toobtain information, locating desired information requires knowledge ofresource(s) capable of returning relevant results in response to asearch. Aside from the complexity of formulating a search query orkeyword for retrieving information using a particular resource, a usermust have knowledge of and locate the particular resource to utilize theresource for the search. However, current search environments do notprovide users with information about resources best suited for returninginformation pertaining to a particular subject matter, category orkeyword desired by the users.

Even after a user locates resources that may be suited for a searchrelated to a category or keyword(s), the user must remember whichresource(s) produced relevant results for the category or keyword(s) tosubsequently refer to the resource(s). Without the user independentlyproviding the resources, other users must independently determinesuitability of a resource(s) and locate the resource(s) for a search.Specifically, known methods for sharing of resource(s) among users areat most ad hoc, i.e., e-mails between friends and colleagues which maycontain “favorites” or “bookmarks”, or a list of links for furtherresearch on a website and ordinarily each user independently determinesthe value of resource(s) for returning results pertaining to a givensubject matter.

Locating resources for searches is even more difficult for users ofportable devices such as cellular phones because multiple searches maybe required to determine which resources are capable of returningdesired information, requiring the users to repeatedly interact with andview contents resulting from the searches. Cellular phone users aresometimes frustrated by the limited display capability and awkward inputmethods of cellular phones, which further complicates searches whenusing a cellular phone and other similar devices.

Although various types of resources are available for locatinginformation via the Internet, there is a need for a method and systemfor efficiently sharing and accessing resources among users.

SUMMARY

A system and method are disclosed for sharing resource(s) across anetwork including identifying a resource utilized for a search inassociation with a keyword contained in the search (sometimes referredto as a search query) and distributing the resource to providersregistered to accept searches related to the keyword. The keyword, whichmay be comprised of multiple words, may represent the entire searchquery. Given that a keyword may represent the entire search query,references to keyword in the text below would also apply to a search (ora search query).

The method and system include determining whether a keyword associatedwith a query has corresponding resource(s) and identifying that searchresource to a requester and/or provider.

The system may include a requester device submitting a query, a providerdevice receiving the query for a search and a database for storing atleast one resource associated with retrieving information pertaining tocontent of the query.

The method includes recording prior usage of resources in associationwith a keyword or category, displaying the resource(s) as availableresources to providers correlated with the keyword or category andenabling each of the providers to selectively use the resources.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will besubsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for sharing and accessingresources.

FIG. 2 illustrates an interface for selecting a category or keyword.

FIG. 3 is a relationship diagram illustrating correlation betweencategories and resources.

FIG. 3A is a relationship diagram illustrating correlation betweencategories, subcategories, keywords and resources.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for displaying resource(s) in association with acategory or keyword.

FIG. 5 illustrates an interface for displaying resources associated witha category.

FIG. 6 illustrates a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for selectingcategories and/or subcategories.

FIG. 7 illustrates an interface for displaying public and privateresources.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate interfaces for configuring resources andassociating them with a category and/or keyword.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate interfaces for providing resources associatedwith corresponding categories.

FIG. 9C illustrates an interface for executing search and resourcerelated operations.

FIG. 9D illustrates an interface for triggering a search.

FIGS. 10A through 10E illustrate phases of a Graphical User Interface(GUI) for managing and sharing resource(s) associated with at least onecategory and keyword(s) and/or phrase(s).

FIG. 11 is a relationship diagram illustrating management of resources.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example message structure of a query.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart for providing resource(s) based onassociation with keywords.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodimentsdiscussed herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elementsthroughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the disclosedsystem and method by referring to the figures. It will nevertheless beunderstood that no limitation of the scope is thereby intended, suchalterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, andsuch further applications of the principles as illustrated therein beingcontemplated are understood as would normally occur to one skilled inthe art to which the embodiments relate.

A method and system for sharing and accessing resources for searches isdisclosed. A resource is a system, an application program, a search toolor any other source from which a provider may obtain information. Thatresource may be accessible using the Internet, public and privatedatabases including results of previous searches, data accumulated basedon a knowledge base accessible to the provider, etc., including text,image, multimedia, or any other electronic information. A provider orsearcher (PaidSearcher™) is a human searcher who has registered toaccept search requests and may be a professional, an amateur and/orvolunteer searcher. A requester (InfoSeeker™) is a user submitting asearch request seeking information for the user or on behalf of anotherperson, organization or other entity. A request may be a fully-formedquestion, or other sentence, keyword(s) or a search phrase, asking forinformation.

An exemplary system 20 for sharing and accessing resources isillustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 20 includes server22 with access to database 24 which may be part of the server 22 or aseparate database server connected thereto. The data in the database 24may be stored in any conventional manner, including in a NetworkAttached Storage (NAS), a Storage Area Network (SAN), etc. using anyconventional or proprietary database software including, MySQL®,Oracle®, SQL® Server, Sybase®, Progress®, DB2®, etc. Hardware platformssuch as Windows Server® 2003, LINUX® (Red Hat®, SUSE®, Debian®, CentOS),UNIX® (Solaris™, HPUX, AIX®, SCO®), etc., may be used for the database24 and/or the server 22. The system 20 may be similar to the systemdiscussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/336,928, filed Jan. 23,2006, by Scott A. Jones, entitled, “A Scalable Search System Using HumanSearchers,” and incorporated herein by reference.

The server 22 receives search requests submitted to the system 20,delivers results returned by provider systems 26 to requesters usingrequester systems 25 and manages resources 28 utilized by the providersystems 26 with respect to searches. For example, the server 22 managessearch requests received by the system 20, including results submittedin response to the requests and resource(s) used for obtaining resultsassociated with categories, subcategories or keywords in the requests.An exemplary relationship diagram depicting entities involved withmanaging resources in the system 20 is explained in detail below withrespect to FIG. 11.

The server 22 communicates with database 24 that maintains records ofthe resources utilized by the provider systems 26 in performing searchesassociated with a category or keyword(s) and usage information of theresources, provider(s) who conducted the searches, default resource(s)to be used when a provider is unavailable to accept requests pertainingto a particular category or keyword, etc. The database 24 includesinformation about category, subcategory or keyword(s) associated withrequests and resources used for responding to the requests includingcategories and keywords defined by the system 20 or that may bedetermined from requests submitted by users. How resources, categoriesand keywords are maintained by the system 20 is explained in detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The provider systems 26 including provider systems 26 a through 26 n areconnected with the server 22 and the database 24 via network 29 a andwith resources 28 via networks 29 b and 29 d. The provider systems 26may connect with the resources 28 using the same network or differentnetworks. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, provider system 26 bmay connect to resource 28 c via network 29 d and provider systems 26 a,26 c and 26 n may connect to resources 28 a and 28 b via network 29 b.Networks 29 a, 29 b, 29 c, 29 d may be a global public network ofnetworks (the Internet) or consist in whole or in part of one or moreprivate networks. For example, resource 28 c might be accessible to onlycertain providers via a private network on a college campus. Providersuse the provider systems 26 to execute searches submitted to the system20 by requesters (or InfoSeekers™). The provider systems 26 may be anytext- or speech-based systems such as a desktop or laptop computersystem, a handheld device, a cellular telephone, a specialized terminal,or any source that allows a provider to conduct a search using one ormore of the resources 28.

Although provider systems 26 in FIG. 1 are shown to access the resources28 via networks 29 b and 29 d, the present invention does not limitproviders to resources accessible only via these networks. As shown inFIG. 1, provider system 26 c may use information stored in local diskdrive 27. For example, a provider may use a private database accessibleonly to the provider such as a database of information previouslygathered by the provider, results from previous requests, or fromdatabases that require payment for access or information available tothe provider in non-electronic form, such as a book on the provider'sbookshelf, knowledge base of the provider, etc.

A resource may be made accessible to a provider via information such asa URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). A provider may share a resource(s)using URI information. The URI information may be a “bookmark” or“favorite”, commonly used in an internet browser application, such asFireFox®, Safari™, Microsoft® Internet Explorer, etc. URI informationmay be a resource for conducting a search.

The requester systems 25 are connected to the server 22 via network 29c. Similar to the provider systems 26, the requester systems 25 may beany text- or speech-based device using which a request may be submittedto the server 22. For example, a requester (i.e., InfoSeeker™) may userequester system 25 a to request information about the closing time of aparticular restaurant in Indiana using keyword(s), a search phrase,‘passive’ data such as GPS, area code, etc. Although the requestersystems 25 are shown to connect to the server 22 via the network 29 c inFIG. 1, the present invention is not limited to any particular type ornumber of networks for submitting requests to the server 22 via therequester systems 25.

An exemplary embodiment of a graphical user interface (GUI) 40 used by aprovider for selecting a category and/or keyword(s) to be associatedwith the provider is illustrated in FIG. 2. When a provider registerswith the system 20 (FIG. 1), the provider may identify a category,subcategory or keyword(s) with which the provider is associated.Currently, the system 20 (FIG. 1) contains 16 categories, approximately400 subcategories and 1.5 million keywords that are expected to growbased on use of the system 20. Further, information in the database 24pertaining to categories, subcategories, keywords, etc., may be licensedfrom an external source such as Trellian®, located in Australia. Asshown in FIG. 2, the GUI 40 includes categories and keywords frame 42displaying a list of available categories and keywords maintained by thesystem 20 (FIG. 1), a category frame 44 identifying each selectedcategory and a keyword frame 46 indicating each selected keyword. Thecategories and keywords currently associated with the provider areindicated in category frame 44 and the keyword frame 46, respectively.For example, in FIG. 2, the category pertaining to “Arts & Crafts” andthe keywords “acrylic paint” and “basketball” are currently selected tobe associated with the provider.

A provider may modify category or keyword(s) associated with theprovider by selecting a category and/or keyword(s) from the categoriesand keywords frame 42 and selecting button 45 b which respectively addsthe selected category and/or keyword(s) to the category frame 44 and thekeyword frame 46. Similarly, the provider may remove or de-select acategory or keyword(s) associated with the provider by selecting thecategory from the category frame 44 and/or the keyword from the keywordframe 46 and using button 45 a to de-select the category and button 45 cto de-select the keyword(s). While selection and de-selection of acategory or keyword(s) is described using buttons 45, the presentinvention is not limited to any particular interface for enabling aprovider to select or de-select a category or keyword with which theprovider is associated. For example, a provider may select or de-selecta category and/or keyword(s) by clicking thereon and dragging anddropping the category or the keyword(s) between the categories andkeywords frame 42, the category frame 44 and/or the keyword frame 46.Some categories, subcategories, or keywords might be restricted in thesystem 20 (FIG. 1) so that they may not be able to be selected at aparticular time and statistical information may be displayed with thecategories, subcategories, or keywords as described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/336,928. Some categories, subcategories, orkeywords may also be associated with a provider by the system, which maybe related to geographic data (GPS, zip code), or other attributes ofthe provider.

As shown in FIG. 2, the GUI 40 includes a save button 48 for storing acurrent modification to a category and/or keyword associated with aprovider including selection and/or de-selection of the category and/orkeyword and a cancel button 49 for canceling the current modification.For example, a category selected in response to a current operation ofthe provider may be stored in the database 24 (FIG. 1) in associationwith the provider when the save button 48 is selected and cancelled whenthe cancel button 49 is selected.

FIG. 3 is a simplified example of a relationship 70 illustratingcorrelations between categories/keyword(s) 41 maintained in the database24 of system 20 (FIG. 1) and resources 72 associated with searches forthose categories/keywords 41 (described in FIG. 11 in detail). Forexample, for search request(s) related to the keyword “AMD”,Wikipedia.org and AMD.com are identified as resources associated withthe keyword “AMD.” As another example, Yahoo.com and NCAA.com were usedas resources for search request(s) associated with the keyword “CollegeBasketball.”

Preferably, the disclosed method and system extract content of a searchrequest and determine how influential a keyword is within the searchrequest string to associate the search request with one or morecategories/keyword(s) 41 and resources 72. Determination of influence ofkeyword(s) is explained in detail below with respect to FIG. 12.Although a particular keyword may cause the system 20 (FIG. 1) to selecta provider who is associated with that particular keyword, the system 20may present resource(s) to that provider that are tied to one or more ofthe keywords (or categories or subcategories) in the query phrase. Inother words, resources may be gathered from the resource listsassociated with multiple keywords (categories and/or subcategories).

FIG. 3A is a simplified example of a relationship table 200 illustratingcorrelations between categories 202, subcategory 204 and resources 208maintained in the database 24 of system 20 (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG.3A, the relationship table 200 may include name 206, description 210 andresource information 208 of the resources correlated with each category202 and subcategory 204. For example, the web site of Animation WorldNetwork™ is identified as a resource for request(s) related to thecategory “Arts”, specifically the subcategory “Animation.”

An exemplary process 30 for presenting resource(s) to providers isillustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, process 30 begins byrecording resource(s) used for search(es) 32. When a search is executedusing one or more resources associated with a category or keyword(s),the resource(s) are recorded. For example, when ESPN.com®, NBA.com andYahoo.com are used for a search to locate information in response to arequest associated with the keyword “basketball”, ESPN.com®, NBA.com andYahoo.com are stored as resources associated with the keyword“basketball.”

Recording resource(s) used for search(es) 32 includes storinginformation with respect to the resources such as Uniform ResourceIdentifiers (URIs), Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), other links,sequences of operations or web pages for accessing the resourcesincluding paths to the resources, an index to a particular location of aresource within a web page, possibly a username/password for access,etc. Information of the recorded resource(s) may include text, images,links, HTML, Internet directories, macro commands for accessingresources, etc. For example, an access process for a resource(s) may beprogrammed such that subsequent access to the resource is automaticallyexecuted.

After recording the resource(s) 32, process 30 continues by associating34 the resource(s) with a category or keyword(s) based on usage. Usingthe example of FIG. 3, ESPN.com®, NBA.com and NCAA.com may be associatedwith the category “sports”, the keyword “basketball” and/or otherrelevant categories or keywords including but not limited to“professional basketball”, “athletes”, etc. That is, a correlation iscreated in database 24 of system 20 (FIG. 1) between the resources andthe keyword as visually depicted in FIG. 3 (see also FIG. 11).Furthermore, specific pages at these websites might be used, such as“soccernet.espn.go.com” where a search for “Michael” might return onlyan advertisement related to Michael Vick, whereas the same search on theESPN® home page might provide easy access to news related to MichaelVick.

Subsequent to associating 34 the resources with a category orkeyword(s), process 30 continues by displaying the resource(s) 36 toproviders registered to receive requests related to the category orkeyword(s). As described above, each provider registered with the system20 (FIG. 1) may identify at least one category or keyword, with whichthe provider is associated for search requests. Further, the category orkeyword(s) selected by a provider may be updated or modified by aprovider as needed, for example, as a provider's experience develops,area(s) of interest change, etc. The system 20 (FIG. 1) may offer newkeywords, categories, or subcategories, for example, when providers gainaccess to resources, demonstrate greater expertise, or otherwiseimprove, or the system 20 may preferentially restrict providers fromsigning up for new keywords, categories or subcategories. In addition, aprovider may be associated with multiple categories or keywords andreceive requests associated with any of the categories or keywords.

Displaying resource(s) to providers includes identifying provider(s)registered to accept searches which are associated with one or morecategory or keyword indicated in the categories and keyword(s) frame 42(FIG. 2). For example, a provider registered to accept requestspertaining to the keyword “basketball” will be presented withresource(s) associated with the keyword “basketball” while resource(s)associated with the category “arts & crafts” will be displayed to aprovider registered to accept requests pertaining to the category “arts& crafts.”

After displaying the resource(s) 36 to providers process 30 continuesmodifying resource(s) 38 in accordance with input from the providers,change in use of the resource(s) or any other factor affectingassociation of the resource(s) with a particular category or keyword(s).For example, when a provider does not find a resource useful, or changesthe resource's association with a particular category or keyword, ormodifies the path of a resource to direct the provider to a particularindex within the resource, etc., the resource(s) may be modified,customized, etc. to be specific to the provider.

FIG. 5 illustrates a GUI 50 for selecting resources associated with acategory. As shown in FIG. 5, for category 58 directed to “basketball”,resource windows 52, 54 and 56 are configured to display contentsobtained from resources associated with that category. For example, theresource windows 52, 54 and 56 may display contents obtained fromESPN.com®, NBA.com and NCAA.com that are associated with the category“basketball.” Although three resource windows are indicated in FIG. 5,the GUI 50 may include any number of resource windows in which thecontents of resources are displayed. The resource windows 52, 54 and 56may display information including text, images, links, videos, etc.,using HTML, XML, XHTML, cascading style sheets, Java Script, etc., orother data available over the Internet and/or from a local network whichcan be accessed by the system 20.

In a preferred embodiment, a predetermined number of resources aredisplayed to a provider using GUI 50 during initial login to the system20 (FIG. 1). For example, the six most commonly used resourcesassociated with a category or keyword(s) for which a provider isregistering may be pre-selected based on usage of resources by otherproviders associated with the category or keyword(s) for presentation toa provider. The present invention is not limited to any particularcriteria for determining which resources to present to a newlyregistered provider. For example, a newly registered provider associatedwith the category “basketball” may be presented with a predeterminednumber of resources associated with categories or keywords of registeredproviders who have fulfilled requests associated with the category“basketball” or the keyword “NBA” or with resources identified by theadministrator(s) of the system 20 (FIG. 1), or by any combination ofthese. Further, resource(s) may be defined for a category or keyword forwhich no provider has registered by administrator(s) of the system 20which may be superceded by usage of the resource(s) over time, modifiedby providers given special authorization such as highly successfulveteran providers, etc. Some providers may also be restricted fromadding resources until they demonstrate proficiency, skill, seniority,etc.

The resource windows 52, 54 and 56 are each provided with elements 60,62, 64 and 66 for viewing and navigating contents displayed therein.More specifically, elements 60 and 62 enable scrolling up and downwithin each resource window 52, 54 and 56 and elements 64 and 66 enablescrolling from one side of each resource window 52, 54 and 56 to theother. The elements 60, 62, 64 and 66 may be similar to typicalgraphical user interfaces of application programs that providenavigational capabilities on a page of information.

The GUI 50 may include a transfer button 63 enabling a provider to passa request to another provider if a provider does not feel qualified toconduct a search in response to a request and preferably includes aconfigure button 65 to allow a provider to view and modify resource(s)as explained in detail below with respect to FIG. 7. For example, atransfer operation discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/336,928 may be used to transfer a request to a suitable provider.

If a provider does not feel qualified to fulfill a request that wasassigned to the provider, the provider may transfer a request to anotherprovider via the transfer button 63 to preferably get the requesterbetter results expeditiously. The provider may also be compensated insome way for choosing to transfer a request to another provider. In somecases, the compensation for the original provider may be dependent uponthe success of the next provider. However, if the request is transferredmore than a preset number of times (e.g. 3 times), then the server 22(FIG. 1) may return a “default” answer of at least one of the topresources associated with the keyword(s) of the query string. Thisensures, for example that the requester is receiving no worse resultsthan those of at least one of the top search resources.

When a provider selects to “transfer” a request to another provider, therequest may be sent back to the server 22 (FIG. 1) to select anotherprovider based on keywords, etc. The provider may also transfer arequest to another provider by selecting keyword(s) that seems mostlikely to have providers associated with it that will be able to fulfillthe request. In other words, a human can determine what seems to be themost relevant keyword in the request. Further, the provider can clarifythe request by adding or modifying the category or keyword(s) associatedwith the request for the next provider. As part of the transfer, some orall of the “instant message” or “chat” interaction between the requesterand the first provider (as described in the interface below) may betransferred to the subsequent provider so that there is history andcontext that does not need to be repeated between the requester and thenew provider.

The transfer capability illustrated with FIG. 5 may be used to givekeywords their ranking, and influence the selection of provider(s)during initial routing of a request to an appropriate provider(s). Forexample, if an initial provider (associated with an initial keyword)identifies additional or different keyword(s) to associate with thisrequest, the weighting of the initial keyword may decrease and theweighting of the new keyword(s) may increase.

FIG. 6 illustrates a GUI 220 providing a tree-view and/or outline viewfor selection of categories, subcategories and keywords maintained inthe system 20 (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 6, the GUI displayshierarchical information of categories and subcategories 43 identifyingkeywords 47 associated with a specific category and subcategory that aremaintained by the database 24 (FIG. 1). For example, a provider may bepresented with category(ies) and/or subcategories with which theprovider was associated during registration or that contain keyword(s)with which the provider can choose to be associated. As indicated by theboxes denoted a, b, c, for example, the provider may choose “sports” asa category, “basketball” as a subcategory from thecategories/subcategories 43 and “shoes” as a keyword 47. Upon selectionof a keyword, a provider may add the keyword to be associated with theprovider using sign-up button 61, remove the keyword from beingassociated with the provider using release button 67, or configureresource(s) associated with the keyword with which the provider has beenassociated using configure button 65. Configuration of resource(s) isexplained in detail below with respect to FIGS. 7, 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary GUI 80 for viewing and/or configuringresources. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the GUI 80, by which the providermay modify resource(s) associated with category(ies), subcategory(ies),or keyword(s), includes a public workspace 82 displaying resource(s)available to any provider(s) that have registered for accepting searchesassociated with the categories, subcategories and/or keywords and aprivate workspace 84 identifying custom resources available to aspecific provider or provider network as described in U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/647,309, filed Dec. 29, 2006, inventor Scott A. Jones, etal., titled INSTANT MESSAGE NOTIFICATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS, which isincorporated herein by reference. For example, the public workspace 82may be created by selecting a provider in the database 24 (FIG. 1),following the links to associated keyword(s) of that provider, and/orfrom the keyword(s), identifying corresponding resource(s). While thepublic workspace 82 shows multiple categories/subcategories/keyword(s)41 and associated resources 72, the present invention is not limited toany particular interface for presenting thecategories/subcategories/keyword(s) 41 and associated resource(s) 72.For example, as denoted by dotted line 85 in the configure screen 80, aprovider may be presented with a screen that identifies customresource(s) 90 specific to a particular category, subcategory or keywordassociated with the provider and other categories, subcategories orkeywords and/or resources accessible to any provider(s) may be displayedin another screen.

Alternatively, the public workspace 82 may also include resource(s) usedfor requests associated with categories, subcategories and/or keywordsfor which a provider has not registered. For example, a selected numberof resources from each category, subcategory and/or keyword may bepresented to a provider as secondary resources while resources of acategory, subcategory and/or keyword associated with the provider arepresented as primary resources. In addition, particular resources, forexample, those most used by providers associated with a category,subcategory and keyword may be presented to a requester when a provideris unavailable for requests associated with that category, subcategoryor keyword. Accordingly, resources for a particular request associatedwith non-primary keywords (i.e. keywords that were not associated withthe provider chosen to accept a request) may be presented to allproviders and/or the requester.

In addition, providers may selectively share resources. For example,certain resources may be shared with a set of providers associated witha keyword while other resources are shared with a set of providersregistered in association with a different keyword. As such, a providermay choose to share some resources that reveal privileged information(e.g. this disclosure) with registered providers associated with akeyword (e.g., “patents”), while sharing a different set of resources(e.g., the ChaCha® Newsletter) with providers associated with thekeyword “any provider.” Further, the system 20 (FIG. 1) may make adetermination of functionality of resource(s) presented for use by theproviders. For example, the system 20 may periodically checkfunctionality of resources by determining whether the resources havesuccessfully been used for recent searches and confirming usability ofresources which have not been used over a period of time.

The configure screen 80 includes a help button 86 providing assistancein configuring resource(s) in the private workspace 84. Although help istriggered via the help button 86, the present invention is not limitedto any particular interface for providing assistance. For example, thehelp may be offered by selecting an option in a drop-down menu, dragginga question mark to an area on the screen, sending an e-mail to anotherprovider or the system administrator(s), etc. The configure screen 80may also provide a description of resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d. Forexample, if a provider wants to know about a particular resource, theprovider may “cursor over” the resource to view a description pertainingto the resource. However, the configure screen 80 is not limited to anyparticular way of presenting information of a resource, for example, apop-up window displaying description information of the resource may beprovided when a provider selects the name of the resource, etc.

The public workspace 82 includes resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d thatare presented to any associated providers including resources which havebeen previously identified, for example, during initial registration byother providers, based on actual usage of the resources by otherproviders, by providers adding resources using the configure button 65(FIGS. 5 and 6), by providers using resources spontaneously during areal-time (or non realtime) search on behalf of a requester, etc. Theconfigure screen 80 provides the resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d asrecommended (public resources). Although resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72d may be displayed to all providers associated with the displayedcategories/keywords 41 a, 41 b, 41 c, 41 d, respectively, preferably, aprovider is able to selectively use any of the resources 72 a, 72 b, 72c, 72 d. For example, a provider may choose to de-select one or more ofthe resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d that have marks indicatingselection for current use in boxes 92 f, 92 g, 92 h, 921 and/or selectother(s) by placing a mark next to resources indicated as beingunselected by the absence of a mark in corresponding boxes 92 f, 92 g,92 h, 92 i.

The private workspace 84 indicates custom resources specific to aprovider and may include elements such as icons, checkboxes, URL inputfield(s), etc., to allow the provider to have a unique individualcontrol over resources to be used. The private workspace 84 includesinput fields 90 a, 90 b, 90 c, 90 d, 90 e for entering new resourcessuch as URLs of web sites, Internet directories such as Zeal®, DMOZ,personal knowledge base(s), etc. to be added as resources by a provider,and share buttons 94 for specifying resources a provider wishes to sharewith other providers registered in the system 20 (FIG. 1). For example,if a provider finds that Mamma.com® returns relevant results forrequests associated with the category “health”, the provider mayidentify the URL in the field 90 a and select share 94 a to make it ashared resource for the category “health” in the public workspace 82,which may cause it to be made accessible via the public workspace 82.

As shown in FIG. 7, the resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d and the inputfields 90 a, 90 b, 90 c, 90 d, 90 e may be provided in a scrollablemanner where elements 81 a and 81 b enable scrolling up and down a listof resources. The elements 81 a (shaded triangle) and 81 b (unshadedtriangle) may be used to indicate that there are other availableresources viewable by scrolling and indicate that all shared resourcesof a category are currently displayed, respectively.

When a provider identifies a resource to be shared with other providers,the provider may be able to input information pertaining to the resourcesuch as a URL, a resource path, associated category or keyword(s),title, or any other information describing the resource to be shared.The provider may share information about any resource includinginformation pertaining to an application, a search tool or any otherinformation relevant to use of the resource. For example, a provider mayspecify a page from a web site in the input field 90 a in associationwith a category or keyword and select the share button 94 a to make thepage available to other registered providers associated with thecategory or keyword. In such a situation, an entry is made into thedatabase 24 of the system 20 (FIG. 1) associating the category orkeyword to an entry added to the database 24 for the resource, the pageaddress in this case. The share functionality presented via theconfigure screen 80, however, is not limited to sharing of a particulartype of resource information. For example, a program code identifying aseries or sequence of operations or string of characters required forlocating a resource may be specified in the input fields 90 and sharedamong other providers.

The configure screen 80 may indicate rank of usage 83 of resources, forexample, based on a ratio of the number of registered providersassociated with a category or keyword(s) who have selected a particularresource for requests associated with the category/keyword(s) comparedto the total number of registered providers associated with the categoryor keyword(s). In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, 8 of the 10providers registered for the category “sports” use ESPN.com® forsearches, while 5 of the 10 providers use NFL.com. However, the rankingof resources in the present invention is not limited to any particularcriteria or threshold and any other factor pertinent to efficient andaccurate searches may be considered in ranking resource(s). For example,if 50% of the providers that are registered for the category“basketball” use ESPN.com® as a resource for conducting searches and 20%use Yahoo.com, corresponding percentages may be indicated as rank ofusage 83.

In addition, as the number of resources used by providers increases,only the highest-ranking resources may be displayed in the publicworkspace 82. Using the same example discussed above, since Yahoo.com isused by 20% and ESPN.com® by 50% of providers registered for thecategory “basketball”, Yahoo.com may not be presented as a resource inthe public workspace 82. Further, resources in the public workspace 82that are utilized by less than 50% of the providers associated with acategory or keyword may be indicated with a different characteristic,for example, may be grayed out while those used by more than 50% arenot, although the checkboxes 92 would remain active permitting selectionof lower ranked resources.

The resources 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d may also be ranked by trackingresources used to return search results to requesters by providers usingthe server 22 (FIG. 1) and ranking the resources most heavily used toreturn results higher than those that are used for searching, but notfor supplying results. This, for example, may provide better ranking ofresources because the ranking is tied to results returned to therequesters as opposed to popularity among providers.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate configure screen 120 and 160 pertaining tothe category “basketball” and the keyword “college basketball”,respectively. For example, when a provider selects the category“basketball” and selects the configure button 65 shown in FIG. 6, theconfigure screen 120 is presented to the provider to enableconfiguration of resource(s) associated with the category “basketball.”Using the same example, if the provider had selected the keyword“college basketball” from the listed keywords 47 (FIG. 6) and selectedconfigure button 65, configure screen 160 pertaining to the keyword“college basketball” is presented to the provider.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the configure screen 120 includes a list ofresources 72 e that are shared among providers associated with thecategory “basketball” and a list of resources 72 f that are particular(or customized) to a provider. The configure screen 160 in FIG. 8Billustrates shared resources 72 g with respect to the keyword “collegebasketball” and provides input fields 90 f and 90 g for enabling inputof new custom resources 72 h such as URLs of web sites, Internetdirectories, etc., to be added as resources by a provider. Similar tothe configure screen 80 shown in FIG. 7, the configure screens 120 and160 include checkboxes 92 j, 92 k, 921, 92 m indicating selection orde-selection of resources 72 e, 72 f, 72 g, 72 h and input fields 90 fand 90 g for current use and share buttons 94 f, 94 g, 94 h, 941allowing a provider to share particular resource(s) with other providersregistered in the system 20 (FIG. 1).

The configure screens 120 and 160 may include usage indicators 83 e and83 f to provide information pertaining to use of resources 72 e and 72 gby providers associated with the category “basketball” and the keyword“college basketball”, respectively. As mentioned above with respect toFIG. 7, the usage indicators 83 e and 83 f may indicate use of theresources, for example, based on selection of a corresponding resourcefor use by providers registered for a particular category, subcategoryand/or keyword. When a provider has completed configuring resource(s),the provider may use a save button 48 a to store a selectedconfiguration or may cancel the selected configuration using a cancelbutton 49 a. Accordingly, providers can manage associated resources atthe category, subcategory and/or keyword level.

When a provider is fulfilling a query request (in a session with anInfoSeeker™), the provider is not limited to any particular resourceconfigured as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 8A and 8B. Forexample, a provider may use other resources on an ad-hoc basis withoutbeing restricted to any resource to retrieve information in response toa query from a requester. As illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the system20 (FIG. 1) enables a provider to dynamically add a resource to thecustom resource list associated with the category “basketball” and thekeywords “college basketball” by selecting add resource buttons 122 and162, respectively. The add resource buttons 122 and 162 may beimplemented within a browser component of a provider application programenabling the system 20 (FIG. 1) such that each defined resourceassociated with a query may be launched in individual embedded browserpanes within the application program used by a provider as illustratedin FIG. 5. The provider may also launch ad-hoc browser requests inembedded browser panes as described in U.S. application Ser. No.11/647,286, filed Dec. 29, 2006 inventor Scott A. Jones, et al., titledAUTOMATED TOOL FOR HUMAN ASSISTED MINING AND CAPTURING OF PRECISERESULTS, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Exemplary sign-up windows preferably displayed when registering toaccept requests associated with different categories or keywords areillustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B. As shown in FIG. 9A, a sign-up window100 displays resources 72 i associated with the category “health” whichare displayed to a provider upon registering with the system 20 (FIG.1). Similarly, a sign-up window 110 displays resources 72 j associatedwith the keyword “basketball” which are provided upon registration tothe system 20 (FIG. 1). For example, the sign-up window 100 displaysWebMD.com and MedicalNews.com as resources defined and activated for thecategory “health” to a provider who has just registered while thesign-up window 110 lists ESPN.com®, FoxSports.com® and Yahoo.com asresources defined and activated for the keyword “basketball.” Further,as indicated by the marks in checkboxes 92 n, WebMD.com andMedicalNews.com are currently activated for use for the category“health” and ESPN.com®, FoxSports.com® and Yahoo.com are currentlyactivated for the keyword “basketball” as denoted by marks in checkboxes92 o.

Resources displayed in sign-up windows 100 and 110 display resources asdefined by, for example, use by more than half of the registeredproviders associated with a category or keyword, based on selection by aprovider, etc. However, a provider may modify the resources presented insign-up windows 100 and 110 according to the provider's need. Forexample, a newly registered provider associated with the category“health” may select NIH.gov and de-select MedicalNews.com as resourcesprior to selecting the configure button 65 a.

The determination of what resources are presented to a new provider maydepend, for example, on usage among existing providers who have signedup for that particular category/keyword(s). For example, if 5 of 10providers for the keyword “basketball” have activated NCAA.com for use,NCAA.com will be provided as a resource associated with the keyword“basketball” in public workspace 82 (FIG. 7). In addition, for existingproviders, change in usage of resources may be indicated. For example,if only 3 of 10 providers associated with the category “sports” wereusing FoxSports.com® when a provider registered to the system 20(FIG. 1) but now 9 of 10 of the providers use FoxSports.com®, anindicator may be located next to where FoxSports.com® appears in thepublic workspace 82 (FIG. 7), and may be presented in a screen providedto providers who have not selected it.

FIG. 9C illustrates an interface 230 for executing search and resourcerelated operations in at least one embodiment. When a provider registerswith the system 20 (FIG. 1), the provider may be presented withinterface 230 for executing a search and/or configuring resource(s). Asshown in FIG. 9C, information associated with a provider may bedisplayed when the provider accesses the system 20 (FIG. 1). Forexample, the information may be a profile of the provider and mayinclude a list of one or more categories for which the provider hasregistered, personal attributes, skills and interests, recentlyconducted searches, level of the provider (i.e., apprentice, pro, andmaster), or any other provider-specific data.

The interface 230 may also display data pertaining to products and/orservices recommended by the provider, advertisements, news, promotions,data of other providers (“buddy network”) associated with the particularprovider, etc. For example, the provider may choose to include otherproviders on a “buddy” list or within a network of friends, with whichthe provider may share information, exchange messages, etc. Althoughspecific examples of the information displayed via the interface 230 arediscussed, the disclosed interface is not limited to presenting anyparticular information and may include an audio file, an image,multimedia data, text, a link, etc.

The interface 230 may include a logoff/close button 221 for ending asession, a status indicator menu 222 for indicating a provider's(guide's) availability, a practice button 223 enabling a provider to usethe interface 230 for training purposes, and an address 225 generated bythe system 20 (FIG. 1) verifying the provider. The address 225 mayindicate an identifier (i.e., unique ID) of the provider and theassociated logon session, and/or a one-time use token. When a providerindicates unavailability using the status indicator menu 222, search andtraining related notifications may not be directed to the provider whilesuch notifications may be provided when the status of the provider isindicated as available. The interface 230 may be provided withnavigation tools 226 enabling the provider to navigate throughinformation displayed, which may be similar to typical graphical userinterfaces of application programs (e.g., browsers) that providenavigational capabilities. The provider or guide is able to navigateforward and backward as information is presented using the interface230.

The practice button 223 enables provider(s) to use the search toolportion of the interface 230 when there is no pending request from arequester (i.e., InfoSeeker™). A provider may be able to practiceperforming a search, posting results or accumulating links, etc.,without the time pressure associated with serving a customer. Inaddition, in a situation where a number of requesters is less than anumber of available providers, selected provider(s) may be directed to atraining task, such as a supervised interactive search with a humantrainer as described in U.S. Ser. No. 60/820,181, titled METHOD, SYSTEM,AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE FOR PODCASTING AND VIDEO TRANING IN ANINFORMATION SEARCH SYSTEM, inventor Scott A. Jones, et. Al., filed Jul.24, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, thesystem 20 (FIG. 1) may determine activities of the provider(s)(available or unavailable) at any given time and direct certainprovider(s) (i.e., inexperienced, newly registered for a keyword, etc.)to a training session during an idle time.

When the practice button 223 is selected, window 232 illustrated in FIG.9D may be displayed. As shown in FIG. 9D, the window 232 includes asearch query entry field 234 for entering one or more keywords to beused as a target phrase for conducting a search, a start search button236 for triggering a search session and a cancel button 238 for endingthe practice search session. For example, the provider may input “NFLfootball Colts”, “NFL”, “football”, “Colts” or any variation ofkeyword(s) or phrase(s) to act as the starting query of a search. Whilethe interface 232 is described using exemplary graphical user interfacesfor executing operations, components of the interface 232 are notlimited to any particular graphical user interfaces.

FIG. 10A illustrates interface 240 for managing resources associatedwith a keyword and/or phrase and a given category/subcategorycombination, which is referred to as a Qualified Key Word (QKW). Asshown in FIG. 10A, the interface 240 includes a field 242 displaying arequest (partial or whole) submitted to the system 20 (FIG. 1) by arequester. For example, a provider (or guide) may select to highlight aportion of a search string from a requester that the provider believesis pertinent, or the search string in its entirety, in the field 242 forconducting a search. The provider may specify the object of the searchby modifying keyword(s) in the field 242. Alternatively, the system 20(FIG. 1) may identify the dominant keyword in the search string in thefield 242 based on previous keyword(s) and/or phrase(s) for which theprovider has registered.

The interface 240 may include an indicator 244 identifying a primarykeyword or phrase for the search, a training flag 246 indicating whetherthe interface 240 is currently being used for human assisted trainingpurposes (i.e., new providers) as described above, and/or a help button250 for requesting application assistance. A phrase or keyword in arequest may be identified as “primary” based on previous use of thephrase or keyword as a primary subject of search(es), indication by thesystem 20 (FIG. 1), uniqueness or generality of the phrase or keyword,selection by administrator of the system 20, etc. Using the examplerequest in the field 242, the keyword “colts” or “football” may behighlighted as a primary keyword. As another example, the phrase “heaterworking car” may develop as a primary phrase based on usage of thephrase in association with previous searches.

The interface 240 may include a transfer button 63 a enabling theprovider to pass a request to another provider who may be better suitedto handle the request and a report button 260 allowing a provider tosend report(s) to the system 20 (FIG. 1). For example, provider(s) maysend various types of reports to administrators of the system 20(FIG. 1) including but not limited to fraudulent requests fromrequesters, misuse of the system 20, unusable resource(s), etc.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the request displayed in the field 242 iscurrently categorized under the category “sports” and the subcategory“events”, as shown by the categorization indicator 241. In a preferredembodiment, when a request that has never been categorized is receivedvia the system 20 (FIG. 1), the provider may be requested to establishcategorization in relation to the request prior to proceeding with asearch. The interface 240 enables the provider to establishcategorization for a particular request including for any keyword(s)and/or phrase(s) contained in the request. Any of the keywords orcombination thereof contained in the request “NFL football Colts” shownin the field 242 may be selected by the provider as a primary object fora search and may be categorized. For example, the provider may highlightthe keyword “Colts”, select a pop-up option to set the keyword as aprimary object for a search, and categorize the keyword with thecategory “news” and the subcategory “breaking news.” While FIG. 10Aillustrates interface 240 using particular categories and subcategories,a request is not limited to being associated with any particularcategories and/or subcategory taxonomy.

The provider may also add a new phrase to the current search using anadd new phrase button 243. Using the example of the request directed to“NFL football Colts”, the provider may add the word “Indianapolis” tothe search query, set the keyword “Indianapolis Colts” as primary objectof the search and categorize the keyword in the category “Sports” andthe subcategory “football.”

The interface 240 may include a list 264 displaying a category tree toassist a provider in establishing a category and/or subcategory forkeyword(s) and/or phrase(s). The interface 240 may also include categorylist 264 a and past categories list 264 b to provide an alternate way ofviewing and selecting categories to assist the provider in finding adesired category. The category list 264 a may be presented such thatwhen the provider begins typing characters of a category name, a list ofcategories matching the characters including respective subcategoriesmay be displayed. On the other hand, the past categories list 264 b maydisplay a list of categories used previously in association with theselected primary keyword or phrase. To assign a category to a request(or a keyword contained in the request), a provider may double-click onor otherwise select any of the categories listed or displayed under thecategory tree 264, the category list 264 a and the past categories list264 b.

The interface 240 may also include a communication interface 262,enabling a provider to communicate with a requester submitting arequest. The communication interface 262 may include a standard messageoption 262 a for selecting an automated and/or pre-stored message to besent to the requester and an input field 262 b enabling the provider totype a message. The provider may also modify the standard or automatedmessage(s). For example, the provider may select a predetermined messagepreviously prepared (by the provider or made available by the system 20(FIG. 1) as a default), add text relevant to a current search, and sendthe message to the requester.

When a provider completes a search session, the provider may indicatecompletion using the “I'm Done” button 248. Subsequent to sendingresults to the requester, the provider may verify that the requester issatisfied with the results of the search and may indicate completion ofthe search session via the “I'm Done” button 248, or if the provider isunable to find what the requester is looking for or determines that aguide with more specific knowledge of the new category/subcategory isneeded, etc. the provider may transfer the request to another providerusing the transfer button 63 a. While the interface 240 is describedusing exemplary graphical user interfaces for executing operations,components of the interface 240 are not limited to any particulargraphical user interfaces.

FIG. 10B illustrates interface 270 for managing resources. When theprovider completes categorization and selection of the primarykeyword/phrase of a query using the interface 240 (FIG. 10A), theinterface 270, providing a browser tab 274, a favorites tab 272 and aresults tab 273 may be presented. The favorites tab 272 enables theprovider to manage resource(s) associated with the categorized keywordor phrase. In a preferred embodiment, when the provider has establisheda target categorization (category and subcategory) with respect to oneor more keyword(s) or phrase(s) of a request, the interface 240 (FIG.10A) may automatically indicate completion. Further, the interface 270may be disabled until the request is indicated as being properlycategorized as determined by the system 20 (FIG. 1). The browser tab 274and the results tab 273 are explained in detail below with respect toFIGS. 10D and 10E, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 10B, the interface 270 activated by the favorites tab272 includes selectable option buttons for displaying and using personal272 a, personal categorized 272 b, personal system categorized 272 c andsystem resources 272 d. Selecting the personal 272 a button enables theprovider to manage resource(s) which may not necessarily fall under aspecific category or which may be generalized search resources, such asGoogle®, Yahoo!®, or DMOZ. The personal categorized 272 b option may beused to manage resource(s) that may fall under a provider-definedcategory. For example, a provider may store resource(s) that may be usedfor general subject matter which he or she may not want associated witha particular category under the personal 272 a option and may store amore specific search resource such as a personal database, a directorydatabase that has restricted access, or a searchable resource which doesnot align with a system-defined category under the personal categorized272 b resources option based on a category defined by the provider.

Resource(s) which the provider may want to associate with the system 20(FIG. 1) defined category(ies) and/or subcategory(ies) may be stored andaccessed using the personal system categorized 272 c option. Resource(s)accessed using the personal system categorized option may be resourceswith restricted access, which may be used by a provider for queriesassociated with a system defined category, subcategory and/or keyword.Resource(s) associated with a system defined category of a search may beautomatically presented and accessed using the system resources 272 doption. For example, NFL.com may be presented under the system resources272 d option when the request “NFL football Colts” is categorized underthe category>subcategory “Sports>Football.” In a preferred embodiment,resource(s) under the system resources 272 d option may be assignedbased on system parameters such as resources most used by the providercommunity, as defined by an administrator of the system 20 (FIG. 1),based on an agreement with a source of the resource (i.e., contract withprovider of a resource), etc. In addition, resource(s) under the systemresources 272 d option may be shared among providers registered to dosearches pertaining to a keyword or phrase with which the resource(s)are associated. Resource(s) using the personal system categorized 272 coption may be presented to the provider when a search request isassociated with a category by the system or by the provider.

A provider may upload information regarding resource(s) which theprovider has added as a favorite using the provider's browser (on anyparticular keyword and/or category) and may share the resource(s)manually or automatically, among other providers registered with thesystem 20 (FIG. 1). Accordingly, the system 20 (FIG. 1) allowsprovider(s) to obtain, record and share information about any of thediverse resources that providers use or discover. Sharing of resource(s)may be accomplished in a number of ways. In a preferred embodiment, whena personal favorite resource is utilized by a provider to return aresult, the resource may be added to and displayed when the systemresources 272 d option is selected by any provider(s) associated with akeyword and/or category of a request triggering the result. Further, thesystem resources 272 d option may display recommended favorite resourcesto providers. For example, resources most often used by other providersfor searches associated with a category, system selected resources basedon keywords of the request, system-sponsored resources associated with akeyword, or category, etc., may be displayed to provider(s) asrecommended favorites.

Similar to the interface 240 in FIG. 10A, the interface 270 may includea communication interface 263 for communicating with the requestersubmitting the request. Further, at any point during categorization of akeyword or phrase or conducting a search, the provider may select theview original search 271 option to change the search query string backto the initial search string submitted to the system 20 (FIG. 1).

The interface 270 may also include a modify search button 275 forenabling a provider to revise the query or change categorization, ifneeded. For example, during interaction with the provider using thecommunication interface 263, the requester may indicate interest inarticles about a specific player of the Colts, at which point theprovider may modify the request “NFL football Colts” to “NFL footballPeyton Manning” using the modify search button 275. Likewise an initialquery “bass” might be categorized under “Recreation>Outdoors”, butduring interaction, the provider or guide could discover that the userwas interested in the bass guitar, and so needed to categorize thesearch under “Arts>Music” in order to obtain appropriate searchresources. While the interface 270 is described using exemplarygraphical user interfaces for executing operations, components of theinterface 270 are not limited to any particular graphical userinterfaces.

Resource(s) displayed and accessed using the favorites tab 272 may beedited using interface 276 shown in FIG. 10C. For example, to modifyresource(s), the provider may choose preferences from the edit menuoption provided via the interface 270. As shown in FIG. 10C, theinterface 276 may include a preferences window 278 providing a pick list280 for managing resource(s) as favorites. Using pick list 280, theprovider may edit resources including adding/deleting a resource (i.e.,web page, Internet directory, etc.), editing URL or description, etc.,to be used under uncategorized, personal categories and/or systemcategories. Resource(s) may be added under uncategorized without havingto specify a category. These could be general use search sites (i.e.,Google®, Jux2, Yahoo!®, Hakia®, etc.), while resource(s) stored underpersonal categories and system categories may be associated with one ormore categories.

As mentioned above, the uncategorized favorites may include resource(s)that the provider wants to use without specifying any category. Thepersonal categories item from the pick list 280 enables the provider tocreate categories (for example, related to the provider's keywords) forfavorite web pages or other resources that the provider may want tostore and/or use during a search session directed to a more specifictopic, which is not already categorized in the search system 20. Thesystem categories option enables the provider to store resource(s) undercategories already defined by the system 20. The resources can beutilized by the provider for search(es) on keyword(s) which aredetermined to fall within those system category/subcategoryclassifications by the search system, or due to active selection by theprovider, as described above.

A provider may define a personal category, and/or add resource(s) underthe defined personal category by typing a URL or using the import 284button to use lists of URLs, etc., from applications such as a browserand associate the resource(s) with the provider-defined category. Forexample, a provider may define “Sony HDTV” as a personal category whichmay be more specific than the categories defined by the system 20(FIG. 1) and associate a specific URL (e.g.http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/hpd/hdtv/) with the category.Similarly, a provider may specify a category labeled “NFL footballVietnam” and associate a web page written in Vietnamese which containsNFL® football information with the category. As such, the personalcategories may be independent of categories defined by the system 20(FIG. 1).

Personal resources associated with system defined categories may bedefined by using the pick list 280 and selecting a system categoryand/or subcategory from a list 282 and associating resource(s) with thesystem category and/or subcategory. For example, a provider may selectthe category “Sports” and the subcategory “Football” and add“sportsillustrated.com” as a personal resource under this systemcategory, by importing the resource info from a file, by directlyentering that data, by importing data from a browser, etc.

The interface 276 enables a provider to create, store, organize,categorize, add, delete, share and/or work with favorite resources,thereby allowing the provider to build a collection of resources and usethe resources to provide targeted, relevant results to a requester asquickly as possible. A provider may also use the import button 284 toadd resources into his favorites, for example, from a personal harddrive, etc. Resource(s) information may also be stored locally byselecting the export button 286 to export resource information Forexample, a file containing an exported resource may subsequently beimported to be associated with another category or to restore favoritesin a situation where a provider may need to re-install an applicationused to access the system 20 (FIG. 1). Providers might also shareresource information by sending files containing resource data viaemail, file transfer protocol (ftp) or any other suitable transmissionmethod.

The interface 276 may also include an import from browser button 285 forimporting resource information stored by a browser and/or a restoredefaults button 288 for restoring default favorite resource(s). Theapply button 290 allows the provider to accept a set of changes toresource data and associations as selected by the provider. When theprovider has completed modifications to the resource(s), the providermay indicate task completion using the OK button 292, or may close thepreferences window 278 without making changes using the Cancel button294. For ease of explanation, the interface 276 is explained usinggraphical user interfaces, however, the disclosed system and method arenot limited to any particular type of user interface for interactingwith the system 20 (FIG. 1).

Accordingly, once a provider has selected a category for a keyword orphrase of the request, the interface 270 (FIG. 10B) provides respectiveresource(s) that the provider may have customized to assist in searches.The provider may use the buttons 272 a, 272 b, 272 c and/or 272 d toselect any of the resource(s) stored under the selectable optionspersonal 272 a, personal categorized 272 b, personal system categorized272 c and system resources 272 d and trigger a search usingcorresponding resource(s) via interface 270 shown in FIG. 10B. Theprovider may view and interact with the selected search resources byselecting the browser tab 274 from the interface 270. For example, acommonly used general resource(s) may be selected to be used for asearch using the personal resources option 272 a, and a more specificresource might be used for the same search using the personal systemcategorized resources option 272 c. The results of the search from thoseresources could then be displayed in the tabs 314 a, 314 b, and/or 314 cin the Browser tab 274 of the interface 300 as illustrated in FIG. 10D.

As shown in FIG. 10D, the browser window 274 may include a new browserbutton 302, a find previous button 304, a find next button 306 and anadd result button 312. The new browser button 302 enables the providerto launch a new blank tab in the browser and enter a search resource URLin the address window 316. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10D, thebrowser window includes tabbed browser windows 314 a, 314 b, 314 cdisplaying contents from the ChaCha® search engine, NFL.com, etc. Themultiple windows may be maximized/restored or minimized with standardinteractions by a provider.

The browser window 274 may display content of a resource and indicate(i.e., highlight) a primary keyword/phrase in the content of theresource. Using the find next button 306 and the find previous buttons304, a provider may search through the content for the indicatedkeyword/phrase. To find the next occurrence of a primary keyword 308 (inthis case, the keyword “Colts”) that is categorized and used in thesearch, the provider may select the find next button 306. Similarly, tofind the previous occurrence, the provider may use the find previousbutton 304. The provider may switch between different keyword(s) orphrases to be used as the object of the search by selecting any of thekeywords or phrases listed in the keyword pick list 310.

When a provider wants to add content as a result to be displayed to anInfoSeeker™ as a response to a request, the provider selects the contentin the resource to be added and selects the add result button 312 totransfer the data to the Results window. For example, a provider mayselect a sample text from a web page by dragging a mouse ordouble-clicking and press the add result button 312 to send the web pagewith the highlighted text to the requester. A result selected to beadded by the provider may be displayed using interface 320 illustratedin FIG. 10E. As shown in FIG. 10E, interface 320 includes the tabbedresults window 273 having a result 324 selected by the provider inresponse to the request, a URL 326 of the result and a provider or guidecomment 322 to be displayed to the requester with the results. Forexample, the provider may insert a personal description of a link to beprovided as a result and send the comment to the requester.

The provider may manage results using the results window 273. A providermay change the order in which the results are presented to therequester, to delete, or edit the results using selectable options 328.For example, a provider may list what he considers to be the mostrelevant result first and the other result(s) following the sameranking. In a preferred embodiment, the results 273 are instantlydisplayed to the requester as they are added using the add resultsbutton 312 (FIG. 10D) by the provider. Alternately, the provider mayaccumulate and edit results before sending them as a group to therequester.

FIG. 11 illustrates a resource entity relationship 165. As shown in FIG.11, primary data structures are provided for provider (orPaidSearcher™), the resource, the category resource and the keywordresource. The primary data structures include relationships pointing toother data types including category, subcategory, qualified keyword andkeyword. For example, each provider is associated with a paid searcherdata structure maintaining data related to ID, first and last name, userID, password, etc., and each resource is associated with a resource datastructure pertaining to ID, title, URL, description, creator (createdby), shared, etc.

FIG. 12 illustrates a structure of a query used in the system 20 (FIG.1). As shown in FIG. 12, an original query text submitted by a requesteris parsed to identify individual keyword(s) in the query includingcorresponding category, subcategory and keyword(s). A rank may beassigned to a keyword based on influence of the keyword against otherkeywords in a query based on, for example, use of the keyword forretrieving information by providers, overall frequency of usage byproviders and/or requesters, frequency of occurrence in web documents,search queries from other search engines, etc. The “Value” attribute ofthe “Keyword” element in the XML message may contain an actualkeyword/phrase (“nike”). Also, for presentation, the matching end-tags(those identified with the “</” string) should be at the same tab-levelas the begin-tag (the matching tag without the “</” prefix).Additionally, all tags/elements listed between the begin-tag and end-tagshould be indented one tab-stop.

Identifying keyword(s) in a query text may include disregarding commonlyused words (“stop words”) such as “the”, “a”, “of”, etc., that appear inthe query submitted by a requester. The identified keyword(s) of a queryare matched with resource(s) associated with the keyword(s). Forexample, the query “Nike basketball shoes” may be identified ascontaining the keywords “Nike” and “shoes” qualified by the category“basketball” which may be associated with use of Nike.com, Yahoo.com andNBA.com as resources, respectively.

The query structure illustrated in FIG. 12 may be, for example, an XMLmessage providing a breakdown of a user submitted query includingassociated resource(s). The resource(s) corresponding to category,subcategory and keyword contained in a given query may be ordered byinfluence. For example, a resource associated with a particular keywordcontained in a query may be ranked higher than a resource associatedwith a category that has multiple subcategories and/or keywordsassociated therewith. However, the present invention is not limited toany particular order of presenting resource(s). For example, resourcesmay be ordered according to each keyword in a query based on usagepreference of associated providers.

The query structure shown in FIG. 12 may be presented to both a provider(PaidSearcher™) and a requester (Infoseeker™). The structure may bepresented to a provider as an XML message in response to the provider'sacceptance of a request to provide resource(s) that are used by thespecific provider. On the other hand, an XML message may be presented toa requester when the requester submits a query without providerassistance to present the requester with resource(s) recommended byprovider(s) associated with a keyword(s) and/or category of a query.

FIG. 13 illustrates process 180 for providing resource(s) associatedwith keyword(s). As shown in FIG. 13, process 180 begins by keywordgeneration 181 from a query. As discussed above, a query may entail afully-formed question/sentence, keyword(s) or a search phrase, etc. Akeyword may be generated from a query based on, for example, a weightingattached to each keyword as indicated in the database 24 (FIG. 1), usageof the keyword over time with respect to queries or to retrieve resultsin response thereto, or any other factor that may affect determinationof relevancy of a keyword in the context of a query for developingrelevant results. For example, if “basketball player Austin Croshere” issubmitted as a query, the keyword “Austin Croshere” may be ranked higherthan the keyword “basketball player” because “Austin Croshere” is morespecific.

After keyword generation 181 from the query, process 180 moves todetermining 182 whether the database has matching resource(s) for thequery. For example, for the query “basketball player Austin Croshere”,assuming keyword “Austin Croshere” is generated 181, resource(s) such asNBA.com, ESPN.com®, etc., may be determined to match 182 the query. Whenit is determined that there are no matching resource(s) for the query,the query is submitted for search by provider(s) 187.

On the other hand, upon determining that there are matching resource(s)for the query, process 180 continues to determining whether the searchis a provider search 184. When it is determined that the query issubmitted for a provider search, the resource(s) are displayed to theprovider(s) 185 and the search by provider(s) 187 is initiated. Forexample, a requester may be inexperienced in the subject matter of thequery, unable to locate relevant information, under a time constraint,etc., and may request a provider search to get assistance from one ormore providers for conducting a search in response to the query.

When it is determined that the query submitted by a requester does notrequest a provider search, the resource(s) are displayed to therequester 186. For example, a requester may be an experienced searcher,may have a desire to review results from resource(s) for locatinginformation of a particular subject matter, or may want to conduct asearch without provider assistance due to the nature of the query, orfor any other reason. In such a situation, the resource(s) are displayedto a requester 186 without requiring submission of the query toprovider(s) for a provider search.

Subsequent to displaying resources to the requester 186, process 180allows the user to select resource(s) 188 and search automatically 189.For example, the resources such as NBA.com, ESPN.com®, etc., may bedisplayed as resources matching the keywords “Austin Croshere” whileresources such as WebMD.com, NIH.com, etc., may be determined to match aquery directed to the category “health.” Accordingly, the requester isenabled to select any of the displayed resource(s) for conducting thesearch automatically.

Information about resource(s) used by providers to return information torequester(s) such as search engines, Internet directories, etc., or anyother source of information that can be electronically searched aremaintained in a database 24 (FIG. 1). The resources are associated withat least one category, subcategory and/or keyword and are madeaccessible for retrieving information in response to a query related tothe category, subcategory and/or keyword.

This allows a resource(s) utilized in search(es) associated with acategory or keyword to be provided to assist subsequent search(es)associated with the category or keyword, for example, for assistingnewly registered providers, for enabling sharing of resource(s) amongproviders, etc. Accordingly, the disclosed method and system enablecollaborative filtering of resources used for searches and providesefficient and effective use of resources for returning accurate results.

While the system and method have been disclosed as associatingresource(s) utilized in search(es) with a category or keyword, the samemethod may be used to associate a resource(s) and a search(es) withother types of metadata without loss of generality. For example, asearch resource(s) and a search(es) may be associated with a tag(s). Theuse of tagging is well known in the current published art, and has beenpopularized by sites such as Flickr™, Gmail™, and Wikipedia®. A tag(s)may be associated with a resource(s) and/or a query(ies) in any suitablemanner.

For example, a tag(s) may be associated with a resource by the publisherof the resource. As another example, a tag(s) may be associated with aresource and/or query by guide(s) (or provider(s)). A tag may beassociated with a resource and/or query by concurrence of a group of oneor more humans in a different example. Likewise, a tag(s) may beassociated with a resource(s) and/or query(ies) by incorporation of anexternal database.

While the system and method have been disclosed as utilizing a specificnumber of classification levels, the same method which incorporates anynumber of classification levels. For example, a 2 level taxonomy(category, keyword), or a 4 level taxonomy (category, subcategory,sub-sub category, keyword) may be used in other embodiments.

The many features and advantages of the claimed invention are apparentfrom the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by theappended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the claimedinvention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction and operation illustrated and described for thedisclosed embodiments, and accordingly all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the claimedinvention. It will further be understood that the phrase “at least oneof A, B and C” may be used herein as an alternative expression thatmeans “one or more of A, B and C.”

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: tracking, via a computer,resources used to retrieve information related to a keyword; displayingthe tracked resources to each provider associated with the keyword, saiddisplaying including indicating resources shared among providers andranked usage data of the resources based on percentage of the providersusing the resources; indicating resources activated for use withdifferent characteristics than non-activated resources; enabling aprovider among the providers to configure the resources to be providerspecific including providing an input box for entering an additionalresource, setting resources to be shared with other providers andselecting a particular resource as a favorite; supplying results fromthe tracked resources to requester(s) including when the providers areunavailable to accept a query from a requester; and automaticallydirecting the query having the keyword to at least one of the resourceswhen the keyword is submitted as part of the query.
 2. Acomputer-implemented method, comprising: storing, via a computer,resources utilized for searches in association with categoriesidentified with the searches; displaying the stored resources to eachprovider associated with a keyword, said displaying including indicatingresources shared among providers and ranked usage data of the resourcesbased on percentage of the providers using the resources; indicatingresources activated for use with different characteristics thannon-activated resources; enabling a provider among the providers toconfigure the resources to be provider specific including providing aninput box for entering an additional resource, setting resources to beshared with other providers and selecting a particular resource as afavorite; supplying results from the stored resources to requester(s)including when the providers are unavailable to accept a query from arequester; and selecting a resource among said resources for the querysubmitted based on the keyword contained in the query and a category ofthe query in accordance with said association.
 3. A computer-implementedmethod of accessing resources, comprising recording, via a computer,prior usage of resources in association with a keyword or category;displaying the recorded resources as public resources to providersassociated with the keyword or category, said displaying includingindicating resources shared among providers and ranked usage data of theresources based on percentage of the providers using the resources;indicating resources activated for use with different characteristicsthan non-activated resources; enabling a provider among the providers toconfigure the resources to be provider specific including providing aninput box for entering an additional resource, setting resources to beshared with other providers and selecting a particular resource as afavorite; supplying results from the recorded resources to requester(s)including when the providers are unavailable to accept a query from arequester; and enabling each of the providers to selectively use theresources.
 4. A computer-implemented method of providing use of humanselected resources, comprising: maintaining, via a computer, a record ofpreviously used resource in association with a subject matter of arequest for which results were returned; providing the record ofpreviously used resource for a search when a new request matching thesubject matter of the previously used resource is submitted; displayingthe record of the previously used resource to each provider associatedwith the subject matter and indicating resources shared among providersand ranked usage data of the resources based on percentage of theproviders using the resources; indicating resources activated for usewith different characteristics than non-activated resources; enabling aprovider among the providers to configure the resources to be providerspecific including providing an input box for entering an additionalresource, setting resources to be shared with other providers andselecting a particular resource as a favorite; and supplying resultsfrom the previously used resource to requester(s) including when theproviders are unavailable to accept a query from a requester.
 5. Acomputer-implemented method for sharing and accessing resources,comprising: recording resources in association with a keyword orcategory based on one of prior usage of the resources, popularity of theresources among providers registered for the keyword or category, ordefault status of the resources as defined by the providers; adding anew resource associated with the keyword or category upon determinationthat the new resource is not among the recorded resources; displayingthe recorded resources to each provider associated with the keyword orcategory, said displaying including indicating resources shared amongthe providers and ranked usage data of resource(s) based on percentageof the providers using the resources; indicating resources activated foruse with different characteristics than non-activated resources;enabling a provider among the providers to configure the resources to beprovider specific including providing an input box for entering anadditional resource, setting resources to be shared with other providersand selecting a particular resource as a favorite; and supplying resultsfrom the recorded resources to requester(s) including when the providersare unavailable to accept a query from a requester.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the publicresources are indicated to a provider.
 7. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 5, wherein the recorded resources aredistributed to providers registered to conduct a search pertaining tothe keyword or phrase and/or the category.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 5, wherein the recorded resources are madeavailable for subsequent search requests containing the keyword orphrase.
 9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5, whereinthe category is defined by the provider.
 10. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 5, comprising: displaying resources commonlyused by providers registered for the keyword or phrase in addition to aresource selected by the provider.